We begin with Above by Isla Morley. When I first heard about this book in a publisher pitch, it was described as very like Room by Emma Donoghue. A girl is abducted by a survivalist, held underground for years (supposedly for her own protection from the coming apocalypse), during which time she has a child. […]

We do run the gamut here at AB4T. Quite a variety to introduce today, but all three fall under the broad category of speculative fiction. Let’s begin with our starred review, a blood-filled serial killer/government experiment-gone-wrong thriller, with an interesting twist. It was released alongside a companion YA novel — Project Cain — which is […]

Am I going out on a limb to suggest that teens read what readers’ advisory librarians refer to as “women’s fiction”? I don’t think so. Whether it’s Danielle Steele, Joshilyn Jackson, Alice Hoffman, or a newcomer like Vanessa Diffenbaugh and her wonderful debut, The Language of Flowers, teen readers are curious about the lives of adults, […]

Angela and I were talking last week about what a great year this is shaping up to be for adult books with teen appeal–we have a backlog of great books that we still want to review, and another list of books that we had to give up on getting to because too much time has […]

The marketing tag line for Jennifer Echols’ new novel is “A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.” There are quite a few teenage girls who will fall for that one! I am going to throw up my hands and admit that I’m not sure whether this should be […]

Pamela Redmond’s new novel addresses the consequences of unplanned pregnancy in three different periods of 20th century America. Adoption and its effects on the mother and the daughter, the availability of birth control, the availability of abortion. Redmond shows just how complicated the decisions involved with potential motherhood can be. In a Q&A published on her […]

Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately joins a growing number of books set in Afghanistan, both fiction and nonfiction. While I would not compare Lipstick in Afghanistan to The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, I do believe that the same readers might enjoy it. This is a lighter treatment of the troubles in Afghanistan, from the […]

About Adult Books 4 Teens

The Adult Books 4 Teens blog was created to help librarians who work with teenagers find the best books published for the adult market that have appeal to teen readers. We provide recommendations and reviews, commentary and news about titles in all genres and formats: narrative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, thrillers and mysteries, memoirs, fantasy and science fiction, contemporary realism, arts and crafts and more.

With very few exceptions, only positive reviews will be published, so the appearance of a review should be considered a recommendation.

Angela Carstensen is Head Librarian at Convent of the Sacred Heart, a
> K-12 private girls school in New York City. Contact her via Twitter @AngeReads.

Mark Flowers is the Young Adult Librarian at John F. Kennedy Library in Vallejo, CA, a branch of the Solano County Library. Contact him via Twitter @droogmark.